--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't want to believe. I want to know." description: "\"I don't want to believe. I want to know.\" — Carl Sagan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/carl-sagan-160_atheism_i-don-t-want-to-believe-i-want-to-know-2_2592997.jpg" --- # I don't want to believe. I want to know. ![“I don't want to believe. I want to know.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/carl-sagan-160_atheism_i-don-t-want-to-believe-i-want-to-know-2_2592997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/carl-sagan-160_atheism_i-don-t-want-to-believe-i-want-to-know-2_2592997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10d/carl-sagan-160_atheism_i-don-t-want-to-believe-i-want-to-know-2_2592997.jpg) > “I don't want to believe. I want to know.” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He distinguishes between belief without evidence and the pursuit of knowledge through inquiry. **In simple terms:** Seek knowledge, not blind belief. Key Takeaway Prioritize inquiry over unverified belief. Themes science skepticism curiosity Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - research - personal growth Key Concepts empiricism critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change your mind? - How do you handle uncertainty? A Different Perspective People may cling to comforting beliefs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-want/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Libertarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libertarian/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-believe/) [Want Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-know/) ## Related quotes > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [People are going to believe what they want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bilzerian/people-are-going-to-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Dan Bilzerian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bilzerian/) > [“And so, let me repeat: who wants to believe - let them believe. But I do not want to believe, I want to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-borun-and-a-trepka/and-so-let-me-repeat-who-wants-to-believe-let-them-believe-but-i-do/) [K. Borun and A. Trepka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-borun-and-a-trepka/) > [“Well, the question is, what do you want to believe? Do you want to live in a world where things are possible, or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-na-roy/well-the-question-is-what-do-you-want-to-believe-do-you-want-to-live/) [Léna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-na-roy/) > [“I think people believe what they want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-think-people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [People are gonna believe what they want to believe And like I said before, I really don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-harding/people-are-gonna-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-and-like-i-said/) [Tonya Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-harding/) > [People believe what they want to believe. You have to run your race and be proud of the person you see in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-richman/people-believe-what-they-want-to-believe-you-have-to-run-your-race/) [Adam Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-richman/) > [We believe whatever we want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/we-believe-whatever-we-want-to-believe/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [We clearly see in God's Word that anything He tells us to do, He will give us the ability to do it. But do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/we-clearly-see-in-god-s-word-that-anything-he-tells-us-to-do-he-will/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“I believed, I believe, I want to believe, and I will believe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-believed-i-believe-i-want-to-believe-and-i-will-believe/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“People always believe what they want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-always-believe-what-they-want-to-believe/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/we-believe-what-we-want-to-believe-what-we-like-to-believe-what-suits/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [To believe, it seemed, one had to want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/to-believe-it-seemed-one-had-to-want-to-believe/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [We find ourselves in that situation where we want to believe, we want to think we're the exception, we want to think we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/we-find-ourselves-in-that-situation-where-we-want-to-believe-we-want/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [“He laughed and said, I don't believe it either but i want to believe it!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/he-laughed-and-said-i-don-t-believe-it-either-but-i-want-to-believe-it/) [Kyung-sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Atheism quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/) [Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/) > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) [Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't want to believe. 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